Congress' Rahul Gandhi appealed to the Centre to issue emergency ration card for helping those facing a scarcity of food due to the lockdown.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appealed to the Centre to issue emergency ration card amid the novel coronavirus crisis. According to him, this would help the needy who are facing a scarcity of food due to the nationwide lockdown. Gandhi claimed that lakhs of people were unable to benefit from the PDS system as they did not possess a ration card. Contending that the foodgrains were rotting in the godowns even as hundreds of people were desperate for food, he described this as an "inhuman situation".

Similar demand raised by Sonia Gandhi

Currently, there are 11,933 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 1344 people have been cured while 392 individuals have passed away. Rahul Gandhi's request to the Union government comes two days after Congress president Sonia Gandhi put forth a similar proposition. In her letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 13, she welcomed the Centre's decision to provide 5 kg foodgrains per person free of cost in addition to the entitlements under the National Food Security Act from April to June 2020.

First, she called upon the Union government to extend the provision of providing 10 kg foodgrains per person free of cost under the NFSA for another three months, i.e till September 2020. She also urged the Centre to provide 10 kg foodgrains for free to those persons who do not possess a ration card for a period of 6 months. According to her, these measures were necessary to safeguard people against food inflation and cater to the migrant workers and other deserving people who were left out of the NFSA coverage.

Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi suggesting measures to ensure food security for people affected by the lockdown & impact of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/euYtgQ9cwE